Growing as Makers

I frequently get questions from traditional graphic design students, inquiring about what being a software designer is like. They want to know more about what I do and what they can do to get their foot in the door as a software maker. The answer to both of those questions can get complicated, but I think I’ve gotten fairly good at boiling it down. Read more on What Is a Software Designer, and How Can You Become One?…

At Atomic, we pair pragmatically. During an eight-hour work day, we may have an hour or two of other appointments or schedule mismatch, plus two hours for lunch, breaks, time spent cranking out menial tasks on our own, etc. We’ll call it around five hours of pairing on an average day. That’s a lot of time to be dealing with each other!

Onboarding to a new project is difficult, whether you’re transitioning from an existing project or this is your first. Every project contains an intricate set of variables, processes, and tools to make it successful, and it’s your job to learn all of them by yesterday. Read more on Four Essential Tips for Easy Project Onboarding…

Five years into your career, you’ve already learned a lot. You’ve learned more about how you work best, what you enjoy, where you’re strong, and where you could use some growth. You’ve learned how to do your job, and you’re getting good at it (if you do say so yourself). You’re also probably starting to look at what the next five years will look like—what opportunities you have ahead of you or how you might use your skills in a different way. Read more on Early Career Advice: Optimize for Continued Learning…

Here at Atomic Object, we get a great perk—we can go to a conference a year! Atomic takes care of attendance fees, lodging, and travel and compensates us for our time. Now that 2018 is here, it’s time to start making plans. We all have busy schedules and competing priorities. In a crowded conference marketplace, how do you determine the right conference to attend? Read more on Choosing a Conference in 2018? Four Questions to Ask Yourself…

Somehow, it’s been over a year since I first began working at Atomic Object. The last 12 months have flown by, and my one year “AO-versary” really sneaked up on me. With this small-yet-notable career achievement unlocked, I thought I would take a look back on how things have gone.Read more on Software Dev. Career, Year One: Expectations vs. Reality…

I had an old employer reach out to me the other day asking if I’d like to do some contract work for them. As I have in all these situations, I recalled Atomic’s guideline for Atoms—we should not do work on the side that competes or conflicts with Atomic’s business.

Earlier this fall, I participated on a panel of women in STEM for the Grand Rapids Girls Robotics Competition. My fellow panelists and I had the pleasure of a very engaged audience of young women in high school, and we explored a wide range of topics relevant to women in STEM fields.

Recently, I’ve been working on taking better notes during team meetings. Notes help the team remember who’s supposed to handle getting which step done by what time. They’re also a great way to reflect on the discussions that were had during a meeting. Read more on How Markdown Helps Me Take Better, Faster Notes…